Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, formerly known as Sa Re Ga Ma, is a highly popular Indian musical competition and reality show on Zee TV channel. The name was inspired from first few notes of Indian classical music also known as Swara. This is one of the most talked about reality shows in India. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was founded by Gajendra Singh in 1995. But then it was named Sa Re Ga Ma. The immensely popular show served as a platform for aspiring and budding singers from across the nation. Some of the best singers from across the globe also participate in the show to perform.
Initially the show was hosted by playback singer Sonu Nigam. The later seasons were hosted by the brothers Ayaan Ali Khan and Amaan Ali Khan. Later Shaan, another playback singer, also joined the bandwagon. The last season, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009, was hosted by Aditya Narayan, son of popular playback singer Udit Narayan; where as Purab Kohli, hosted the 2010 version of the show.
In 2007, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Middle East was premiered for the audiences based in Pakistan and the Middle East.
The show was renamed as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and public voting system was introduced in 2005. Debojit Saha was the winner of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 while Aneek Dhar won the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 was the 3rd installment of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge series and Vaishali Mhade was announced the winner. The show was premiered on July 04, 2008 and was aired every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. It was hosted by Aditya Narayan. He is the son of renowned Indian playback singer Udit Narayan.
The USP of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa challenge 2008 was that the show opened to different countries, giving equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of their nationality, religion, and social standing. The show is a treat for all the music lovers. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 was the 5th public voting competition in the `Sa Re Ga Ma Pa` series, whose contestants have already gained much hype.
Asha Bhosle, the well known Indian playback singer, judged the show, in the position of `Mahaguru`. There were four other popular Bollywood music composers namely Aadesh Shrivastava, Shankar Mahadevan, Pritam Chakraborty and Himesh Reshammiya who also comprised the judging panel. In the initial stages, Asha Bhonsle chose the participants, but was later on replaced by Kavita Krishnamurthy. The participants were segregated into 4 groups or gharanas namely Jai Ho, Rock, Lakshya and Dhoom. The mentors for the groups were, Aadesh Shrivastava for Jai Ho, Himesh Reshammiya for Rock, Shankar Mahadevan for Lakshya and Pritam Chakraborty for Dhoom.
Suresh Wadekar and Gulam Ali Kha Sahib also served as judges for a season of Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. through out the years, Auditions are conducted in various cities of India such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi etc. and even reaching in to the rural areas to expand their reach to locate talents even from remote parts. Auditions for the show were also held in various foreign countries like USA, U.K., Pakistan, U. A. E. etc.
In the present scenario, where singing reality shows have become a fad, Sa re ga ma pa stands out as it has become a sensation with the youth and are inspiring thousands of talented artists to come forward. Sa re ga ma pa has successfully provided a platform to numerous aspiring singers by means of which they can have a life changing opportunity to fulfill their dreams. The ever-growing popularity of these shows has taken the nation by storm. People have started taking them seriously and the gates to stardom have been opened for those who have the talent.